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Alleged Seattle-Bound Hijacker Indicted

EVERETT, WA - JUNE 23: An Alaska Air jetliner taxis past one of two Boeing 787 Dreamliners sitting on the flight line June 23, 2009 near the company's production facilities at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Boeing announced the postponement of the airplane's first flight due to a need to reinforce part of the plane's body.

(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

HONOLULU (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Hawaii man on charges he lied to authorities when he said a possible hijacker was aboard an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle.

Timothy David Hershman faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Last month the FBI said a caller reported a possible hijacker aboard a Jan. 17 flight from Kailua-Kona.

The call prompted the Oregon Air National Guard to scramble two F-15 jets to escort the flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Authorities took a passenger off the plane for questioning. They decided the call was a hoax after talking to him for nearly two hours.

A message left at a phone number listed for Hershman was not immediately returned.

The indictment was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Wednesday.